LISTEN: Sleepwalker by Hey Ocean! – New music + Tour Dates

As predicted in my post about Ashleigh Ball‘s song “Crazy,” I predicted (kind of) that we would get tour dates soon. Well we’re not exactly getting solo dates*, but in my opinion, we’re getting something even better!

First of all, here’s a brand new song from Hey Ocean! from what will be their fourth LP. The track is called “Sleepwalker” and what a jam it is!

The song definitely has a slight Arcade Fire vibe to it especially on those backing vocal “Oohs” (“Neighbourhood #1” or “Wake Up” anyone? Take your pick. The percussion, especially in the intro has a very Hey Ocean! vibe to it. What I mean by that is that during a percussion breakdown, I’ve not only seen all the members play on the drum kit at once, but even branching out to play percussion on the ceiling and walls of the venue, and the opening to “Sleepwalker” sounds like they used all sorts of percussive sounds, and not just a normal kit. Add to that a gnarly bass riff, and a great guitar and keyboard hook, and it’s a solid single. No flute though, but I can only expect there will be some flute somewhere on the album.

Here’s a video from about two years ago of “Sleepwalker” played live.

The band just announced a national tour of intimate shows where they will play two sets containing “deep cuts, new songs, solo stuff, and old favourites..” Tickets went on sale last Friday, so if you haven’t secured yours yet, don’t sleep on it.

If you’ve made it this far, allow me to reward you with a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II” by Hey Ocean! and Aiden Knight and the Friendly Friends which I will go ahead and say is better than the original.

*While writing this post, one date for Ashleigh Ball solo was announced for The Rivoli in Toronto on November 9th. Maybe more dates to follow. We’ll keep you posted.